Craterize MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Common
Type	Sorcery
Released	2012-07-13
Set symbol
Set name	Magic 2013
Set code	M13
Number	126
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Eytan Zana

Key Takeaways

Craterize disrupts opponents by strategically removing crucial lands at a calculated tempo.
Its sorcery speed requires foresight, limiting reactive use but offering planned board control.
High cost and specificity impact deck flexibility and require a focused game plan.

Text of card

Destroy target land.

"'Utterly' is my favorite way to destroy something." —Chandra Nalaar

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Craterize may not directly offer card drawing capabilities, but it ensures that you can eliminate key lands or utility lands of your opponent, potentially disrupting their game plan and creating an indirect card advantage.

Resource Acceleration: While Craterize itself does not accelerate your resources, its role in depleting your opponent’s mana base can act as a form of relative acceleration, putting you ahead if you maintain other mana sources or ramp strategies in your deck.

Instant Speed: Craterize operates at sorcery speed, which requires strategic planning to optimally include it in your turn sequence. If the right moment arises, it can be game-changing by removing essential lands before your opponent can make use of them on their turn, impacting their tempo significantly.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Craterize requires players to have the card in hand without any other utility beyond the singular use, potentially reducing hand advantage against opponents.

Specific Mana Cost: Craterize costs one red and three generic mana, necessitating a commitment to red mana resources which could restrict deck-building flexibility and mana curve optimization.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a total mana cost of four to target a single land, Craterize may be less desirable compared to more versatile land destruction cards or those with lower costs that allow for more strategic plays within a turn.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Craterize is a powerful tool for red-based decks looking to manage the board and eliminate troublesome lands. It integrates well into strategies that aim at disrupting opponents’ mana bases or taking out utility lands.

Combo Potential: This card can serve as a crucial piece in land destruction-themed decks. It can be paired with cascade mechanics or spells that copy sorceries to magnify its impact, paving the way for a game-winning combo.

Meta-Relevance: With an ever-shifting competitive landscape, Craterize might shine in a meta that’s heavy on land-dependent combos or where essential nonbasic lands are key to opponent strategies, making it a tactical choice with potential for significant payoff.

How to beat

Craterize, while not commonly seen at the top tables, still presents a straightforward approach to land destruction in Magic: The Gathering. This sorcery allows you to target and destroy any land for four mana. Contending with Craterize means ensuring that the mana investment made by your opponent does not set you back significantly. To effectively mitigate the impact of this land removal strategy, consider diversifying your land base with non-basic lands that have inherent protections or are less crucial to your strategy.

It’s also beneficial to include cards in your deck that can quickly recover lands or generate additional mana. Spells like Rampant Growth or creatures such as Llanowar Elves can swiftly compensate for the loss of a land, keeping the tempo of your game plan steady. Furthermore, being aware of your opponent’s potential to play land destruction spells could influence you to play lands more conservatively, keeping spare ones in hand when possible.

Equipping your deck with counterspells, if you are in blue, could provide a direct answer to Craterize and other land destruction cards. In this way, maintaining board presence and resource advantage becomes less daunting despite the presence of targeted removal in your opponent’s arsenal.

Cards like Craterize

Craterize stands as a targeted destruction card in the realm of Magic: The Gathering, reminiscent of other cards in the sorcery category that deal with land annihilation. When compared to cards such as Stone Rain or Pillage, the core concept remains the same — the destruction of lands to disrupt opponent strategies. Stone Rain is noted for its lower mana cost, requiring only three mana to execute, making it a more readily accessible option for players looking to hamper the opposition early in the game.

Pillage offers a dual utility by allowing not only the destruction of lands but also artifacts, giving it a wider range of use against various decks. Although it shares the same mana cost as Craterize, the added flexibility can be crucial in matches where artifacts play a key role. Conversely, Craterize’s sole focus on lands implies a much more narrow window of influence, potentially limiting its strategic versatility.

Evaluating these options, players must consider mana efficiency, breadth of target choice, and overall impact on the game’s tempo. While Craterize may seem outclassed in utility, in scenarios where only land disruption is needed, it serves as a clear and unambiguous choice within land destruction tactics.

Cards similar to Craterize by color, type and mana cost

Draconic Intervention - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Craterize MTG card by a specific set like Magic 2013, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Craterize and other MTG cards: